Prelude
by Caliente
Summary: post-2009!film one-shot starring Q and Janice Rand –– The infamous alien known as Q meets the intrepid explorers of the Enterprise. It's just not the Enterprise he's generally known to frequent… –– one-sided Q/Rand affection; Alphabet Meme: P is for Policy


**Author's Note: **For Lemondrop_xxx who asked for Q&Rand with the prompt policy. Set post-film during the 5 year mission (or whatever). The title isn't meant to imply there'll be more Q in AOS fics coming from me (although who knows?) but rather that this is a prelude to Q's fascination with Picard and the _Enterprise-D_ as seen in TNG and flirtation with Janeway as seen on Voyager. Unbeta'd and definitely not as polished as I'd like but _c'est la vie_. Do let me know if there are mistakes, though! Thanks for reading.  
**Disclaimer:** Characters mentioned are used without permission and are trademarks of CBS/Paramount/Gene Roddenberry. I do not own them and am simply borrowing for my purposes. Please don't sue.

**Prelude  
**by Bether

When the alien called Q flashed aboard the bridge of the _Enterprise_, it was fair to say everyone present was gobsmacked—even Spock, which was a sight to see. He grinned at them and performed unimaginable feats with just the snap of the fingers. It was… _something_.

It became clear rather quickly, though, that he wasn't so much performing _for_ them as playing _with_ them. As if they were pawns to be used in some sort of game, though what the purpose of it might be seemed known only to him. He could give something in an instant and take it away a moment later. It meant nothing to him, this power he wielded.

And, admittedly, it was somewhat amusing watching him tease Kirk and McCoy for their very different but still humorous reactions. (Uhura couldn't be dignified to respond beyond a disapproving glare and Chekov, Sulu and Scotty were too easily excitable as it was, so their responses were hardly noteworthy.)

The game changed instantly when it was Spock the alien Q zoned in on. Once he had him in his sights, he seemed particularly interested in the Vulcan, making offhand (and offensive) comments about the decimation of his planet and race. He clearly felt himself superior to a point that the loss of life meant absolutely nothing to him.

That was when Janice Rand decided she'd had enough of this Q and his attitude. This was their ship, their _bridge_. He had no right to come aboard without any regard for them. They were not pets to be teased and tormented; they were not to be experimented on or treated with such blatant disregard. It simply was _not_ okay.

The only thing was, Janice had a very specific skill set. She wasn't in security or medical or engineering for a _reason_. She was good with rules and regulations, with organizing and keeping a schedule, with reading and writing reports. And, yes, diplomacy was part of her palette but this had to be over her head.

She stepped up, anyway. "Excuse me, Mister… Q?" Janice, who had been hovering behind one of the bridge stations, stepped forward as she spoke.

Apparently intrigued by the interruption, the alien turned his attention toward her with one eyebrow raised pointedly.

Right. Janice tried her best to ignore the butterflies wearing boots stomping through her gut. "I feel it incumbent upon me to inform you that we have very specific policies regarding first contact situations and, currently, you are not operating within the designated parameters." (Oh God, she hoped that sounded less stupid to him than it did her.)

"Oh? And what do I care for your policies?" Q asked, his second eyebrow rising to meet the first high on his forehead.

She thought as fast as she could (and hoped her hesitation wasn't as noticeable as she felt like it was). "That's a good question, Mr. Q. You see, um… we have this rule. It's called the—Prime Directive!"

"The Prime Directive?" he repeated dubiously, looking bored. (Not good.)

"Yes," she said quickly, nodding emphatically. "The Prime Directive is the cornerstone of our belief system—our most important law. It's a policy of non-interference." It was then that she noticed the majority of the bridge crew shooting her confused looks. Janice pressed on: "We believe that civilizations should evolve on their own, without interference from more, er, _advanced_ societies."

Q was sharing in the crew's confusion, it seemed. "So?" He puffed his chest proudly. "You're not more advanced than the Q Continuum."

Janice smiled, though—he'd given her just the opening she'd been hoping for. "Oh, I _know_," she agreed sincerely. "No, the problem is how much more advanced _you_ are." Kirk's eyes lit up but she didn't have time to notice that. "As we work so hard to respect other civilization's right to grow in their own ways, we would _hope_ civilizations more advanced than us would do the same." Her eyes were wide and innocent. "You understand, don't you?"

As he stroked his chin, she held her breath. "I suppose I do," Q admitted at last. He clapped his hands and all the bridge was returned to normal. (This meant the disappearances of the choral girls for Chekov, the specs for space-time travel for Scotty, the more impressive build for Sulu, the undiscovered languages for Uhura, the somewhat ridiculously redesigned captain's chair for Kirk, the apparent _daughter_ from Earth for McCoy—and everything else.)

Then he pointed a finger at Janice, grinning. "You—I like you." Q snapped a finger and a bouquet of beautiful roses appeared in her arms. He leaned closer to her and added in a stage whisper, "Don't worry, they're just flowers."

Blushing despite herself, Janice made sure _not_ to look at Kirk. "Er, thank you."

Q winked at her, then gave the crew a cheery wave and vanished in a flash.

It seemed everyone held their breath for a moment to see if he was really gone, which was followed by something of a collective sigh of relief.

Spock spoke first. "You have my gratitude, Yeoman."

Janice's face did not get any less red. (Being shown appreciation from their sole Vulcan was a distinction not many could claim.) "Of course, Commander." She meant it, too—how Q had treated him was not acceptable.

"Good thinking, Yeoman," Kirk agreed, sliding over to her. He plucked a petal from one of her flowers and grinned cheekily. (As if he had any other kind.) "You sure won him over fast."

Janice straightened. "Anyone who stroked his ego would." She gave Kirk a Look. "Thankfully, I have plenty of experience in that department."

McCoy snorted loudly, Uhura and Hannity laughed behind their hands, Sulu and Chekov turned quickly back to their stations (probably to hide their own chuckles), while Spock arched his brows expertly.

Scowling, Kirk opened his mouth to comment; Janice beat him to it. "If you'll excuse me, sir—I want to get these into water before I start the report on this incident."

He pouted but waved her off. "Dismissed, Yeoman."

Elsewhere, Q stood with one of his contemporaries and watched the scene playing out. "Clever, wasn't she? And a quick thinker." He smiled at his companion. "I think this _humanity _may have potential, after all."


End file.
